1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cosmetic composition, more particularly to a cosmetic composition comprising, as active ingredients, one or more members selected from the group consisting of mono-Nα-acylarginines and cosmetic powders whose surfaces have been treated with a mono-Nα-acylarginine (Ingredient A) and one or more members selected from the group consisting of water-soluble polymers and alcohol-soluble polymers (Ingredient B).
The cosmetic composition of the present invention is excellent in conditioning effects such as moist feeling and voluminous feeling for the hair and is excellent in feelings upon use such as smoothening property and moist feeling without sticky feeling and occlusive feeling for the skin.
2. Related Art
In hair cosmetics such as hair detergent composition, cationic polymers or amphoteric polymers are widely used for imparting conditioning properties such as prevention of tangling of hair upon hair washing. However, since these polymers have to be incorporated in a large amount for providing sufficient conditioning properties, there is the problem that there arises, after drying the washed hair, dry and rough feeling in the hair or no sufficient voluminous feeing is attained, so that feelings upon use are poor. Moreover, for the purpose of imparting styling property mainly to the hair, an anionic polymer or nonionic polymer such as an acrylic resin alkanolamine solution, polyvinyl alcohol or the like is widely used, but these polymers are excellent in providing styling property but are unsatisfactory in view of providing conditioning property.
Furthermore, for the purpose of adjusting the viscosity of various cosmetics, stabilizing the form thereof, or providing spreadability (thixotropic property) thereof upon application, an anionic polymer or nonionic polymer such as carboxyvinyl polymer, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, Cyamoposis gum (i.e., guar gum) or the like is widely used. These polymers impart the above excellent functions to various cosmetics, but, as for the skin, they exhibit sticky feeling and occlusive feeling and are not excellent in feelings upon use such as smoothening property, moist feeling and the like, and as for the hair, they are not satisfactory in providing conditioning effects, since they impart dry and rough feeling and insufficient voluminous feeling, and the like.
For the purpose of enhancing smoothening property upon application of a skin cosmetic, Nε-lauroyl-L-lysine is sometimes incorporated. However, feelings upon use are not sufficiently excellent since satisfactory moist feeling is not attained for the skin, and sticky feeling and occlusive feeling are provided.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 228348/1999 is disclosed a cosmetic composition comprising one or more members selected from mono-Nα-long chain-acylarginines or a powder whose surface has been treated with a mono-Nα-long chain-acylarginine, which is excellent in providing conditioning effects such as moist feeling and settlement of the hair and also excellent in touch feeling such as non-strained feeling for the skin. However, satisfactory moist feeling for the hair and skin cannot be attained by the composition of the invention alone, and thus the composition is not sufficiently excellent in feelings upon use.